Fellsmere has high economic hopes for organic shrimp farm

Jupiter group could create 572 'green' positions as flagship of new commerce park

Jumbo white shrimp bring big promises of "green" jobs to Fellsmere and Green Cards to a few dozen foreign investors, most of them Chinese.

This tiny rural city — population 5,400 — pins much of its economic future on a planned commerce park, with a $16 million organic shrimp farm as the flagship.

They hope shrimp just like those that leap from a huge tank at Florida Tech's Vero Beach Marine Lab can rejuvenate and diversify a citrus-based economy often plagued by canker, citrus "greening" and weather extremes.

"That's what we're hoping is that this becomes sort of an epicenter for this type of activity and research," Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker said.